How to get the powerful Danse Macabre spell in BG3

Did you pick up the book Necromancy of Thay during the first act of Baldur’s Gate 3 and wonder what you could get with it, but were afraid to open the book because of the possible consequences? You may also be wondering if the good will outweigh the bad. Well, opening the book basically requires passing numerous checks, and if you pass them, you will be rewarded with one of the best spells in the game. Read below to find out exactly what you need to do to get the Danse Macabre spell in BG3.

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Astarion with his army of ghouls in Baldur’s Gate 3.

How to get the Necromancy of Thay Book spell¶

When you are in Blythehead Village, you can enter an underground cave called Whispering Depths. There are several ways to get into this area, but the fastest way is to interact with the Well west of the village waypoint. The other and probably easiest way to get the book is through the wooden hatch behind the counter in the alchemist’s house past the waypoint, so use the latter method.

Once you’re in the alchemist’s basement, slide the top drawer onto the floor to reveal a poorly hidden lever. By interacting with it, you will move the bookcase and open a new path. Be careful and only loot the coffins if you want a fight, as there are many undead inside them. After walking forward, turn right (southeast) and you will find stairs leading to the Mirror. Interact with it to find out that it is a magic mirror with a question about salve. Make a quick save and answer the following question:

• Say your name
• Vile, pathetic creature.
• He Used Balsam To Clean A Wound – The option says that you read this in the Doctor’s Notes, if you read – The Healer’s Notes in the previous room in the basement, which guarantees you passage.
• Either option 2 or 3.

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(1 of 5) Go down the wooden hatch in the alchemist’s house in Filthy Village.

If you fail the check at any time, the creature will spawn a golem-like guardian to protect it, and you’ll have to defeat it…or quickly boot up. In the next room you need to find a rusty key to open the impenetrable iron gate. The key will be on a shelf in one of the side rooms to the west of the room. Take the key, open the Iron Gate and find the book Necromancy of Thay. Before you take it, disarm the numerous traps in the room, including the trap under the book.

Now that you have the book, you need the key, which is in the form of a dark amethyst. Unfortunately, getting it is not so easy: to do this you need to defeat the matriarch of the Phase Spider, or at least get past him. The Spider and Dark Amethyst can be found in the far west of the Whispering Depths. Remember the well entrance in Blighted Village we talked about earlier? Return to it to enter the Whispering Depths and head west, defeating numerous ettercaps and phase spiders along the way.

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(1 of 2) In Foul Village, go down the well near the Whispering Depths waypoint.

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In the Cursed Village, go down the well near the entrance point to the Whispering Depths. Follow the path west until you find the Phase Spider Matriarch boss (on the left). The key will be under it. (on right)

When you reach the western end of the Depths, you will find Matriarch Phase Spider on the floor above. The Dark Amethyst is next to the wall on the floor below it (thanks to Larian). You can use sneak/invisibility to get the key, but it will require a lot of luck and save manipulation. Whatever method you choose to obtain the key is at your discretion, but once you receive it, you will be able to leave the Depths and take refuge in your camp.

Passing checks – who to choose.¶

Note: Wisdom Checks

There are countless ways to help you pass these checks. Naturally, clerics, druids, rangers and magicians have good wisdom, and then they can be strengthened with spells such as Guidance, Bless, Resistance, Warding Bond, Beacon of Hope, etc. This will significantly increase your chances of reading the book unhindered.

When you open the Necromancy of Thay book, you’ll have to keep turning the pages until you reach the end, but to do so you’ll have to pass three increasing Wisdom checks. The first is DC10, the second is DC15 and finally DC20. However, before this, you need to decide who will have the spell, since the spell is received by the one who reads the book. Danse Macabre is a 5th level necromancy spell, and it uses INT as the caster ability, so you need someone with both Wisdom for the checks and Intelligence for the spell. Next, after passing three checks you will receive the Speak to the Dead spell, so you may need someone who doesn’t already have access to this spell.